New ice at Whitestown rink absolutely perfect’

Saving money has never looked so good. After months of work, the finishing touches are being put on the Whitestown Ice Arena’s more than half a million dollar energy efficiency upgrade project that outfitted the facility with a brand new state-of-the-art ice cooling system and lighting.

After months of work, the finishing touches are being put on the Whitestown Ice Arena’s more than half a million dollar energy efficiency upgrade project that outfitted the facility with a brand new state-of-the-art ice cooling system and lighting.

And people are already noticing the difference.

Robert Grant, president of Whitestown Youth Hockey, said the new lighting has eliminated blind spots and provides more of a “daylight feel.” He called the new ice surface “absolutely perfect.”

“The parents and children who call Whitestown their home ice are very proud of their newly updated facility,” Grant said. “It’s nice to see taxpayer monies being well spent back into the community.”

The roughly $650,000 in town upgrades, which also included new lighting at the highway garage and community center, will save the town about $54,400 a year in operating costs, and more than cover for the $45,900 yearly payment it will make to the New York State Power Authority over the next 15 years, according to Town Board member Michael Ciancaglini.

“We actually came in under on the construction costs, so we are looking into putting that toward additional savings by updating the energy efficiency of our water heating system,” Ciancaglini said.

Jack Delmonte, director of parks and recreation, said that in anticipation of instituting the new cooling system, the arena melted the old ice surface in May, repaired some of the tubing that sits on the concrete and repainted the markings that appear on the ice’s surface.

He said the new system, which is computerized and will alert his phone of any issues, was tested last week, and should be fully operational by the end of November.

“We’re very excited about the end results,” Delmonte said. “The ice is already greatly improved since the work in May … and I believe it will be an even better surface once the switch over is complete.”

The old ice system, which dated back to the late 1970s, will continue cooling the ice in the meantime, and will remain connected as a backup.

Delmonte said the new arena lighting, which is complete aside from one small section above the bleachers, is about four times brighter than the old lights, at a third of the wattage.

The same energy efficient lights have been installed in the adjoining community center, and should be completed in the next-door highway garage this week.